Fifteen cats and kittens are recovering after being found in a hot car in a parking lot. (Credit: KC Pet Project)

KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -

Fifteen cats and kittens are recovering at a local shelter after they were found in a hot car.

On Thursday, they all seemed to be doing fine at KC Pet Project.

Someone noticed the cats loose inside a car in the Ameristar parking lot and called animal control, who came out and rescued them.

Three were adults, nine were cats about six months of age, and a couple were kittens.

A spokesperson for the shelter says it’s illegal to have that many pets. She said that, in Kansas City, you can only have up to four animals and they have to be licensed

KCTV5 News was told the cats are healthy and adoptable, but that it could be five to ten days before they are able to go to their future homes.

“Yesterday was an incredibly hot day,” said Tori Fugate, a spokesperson for KC Pet Project. “These cats were overheating when they came in, but they were not panting or anything yet. So, thankfully, whoever saw them got them out in the nick of time. Otherwise, if they would have been left in there any longer or something, this would have been a different situation for them."

Fugate said that if it’s above 75 degrees, they recommend leaving pets at home because your car can heat up quickly in those temperatures.

A Facebook post from a local teacher that said the Florida shooting had her so on edge she was actually considering ending her 35-year career in education had us wondering how many other teachers are having that kind of internal crisis.

A Facebook post from a local teacher that said the Florida shooting had her so on edge she was actually considering ending her 35-year career in education had us wondering how many other teachers are having that kind of internal crisis.